To speed up rejuvenation of water bodies, DJB comes out with SOPs, three-pronged strategy

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To speed up work on the rejuvenation of water bodies in the national capital, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has recently come up with a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a three-pronged strategy.

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As part of the new rules, a few such projects will be clubbed together before tenders are floated, and each project will be divided into three phases -- garbage removal and excavation of the waterbody; arrangement of water from a nearby sewage treatment plant; and landscaping of surroundings.

Delhi Jal Board vice-chairperson Raghav Chadha said, “The ‘revival of water bodies’ project is one that is close to my heart. Tenders have been floated for 59 water bodies and work has been awarded for 46 water bodies. The work at 10 sites -- Ibrahimpur, Karala, Daulatpur, Neelwal, Hiranki, Sirsapur, Mungeshpur, Bindapur, Nangli Poona and Tikri Kalan -- is likely to be completed soon. Wastewater being discharged into these water bodies shall be treated through sustainable wetlands, enabling a green process of wastewater purification and a step towards enhancement of local microclimate and biodiversity. For transparent execution of the rejuvenation work on the remaining water bodies, SOPs have been finalised, which will ensure uniformity in procedures that are being adopted at present.”

The DJB has to rejuvenate more than 200 water bodies in the city – most of them are lakes and ponds – and it has already initiated work on 155 water bodies, said a senior government official, not wishing to be named.

The official further said these SOPs will apply to 72 of the 155 projects. For the remaining 83 projects, consultation contracts have been awarded to CSIR-NEERI and the consultants have prepared project reports on 71 projects in hand. Work order has also been issued for 46 projects, the official quoted above said.

These projects include the water bodies in Ibrahimpur, Karala, Daulatpur, Neelwal, Hiranki, Sirsapur, Mungeshpur, Bindapur, Nangli Poona and Tikri Kalan, the official said. These villages are located in the west, south-west north-west peripheries of the capital city.

“Water bodies should be clubbed into packages of 30 to 50 (in) each package and bids should be floated in parallel to expedite the process,” said the document.

The clubbing of projects is a strategy earlier used by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for several projects such as the construction of classrooms across schools and the setting up of mohalla clinics (primary health care centres).

According to the SOPs, all water bodies should have three phases of development. The first phase includes removal of garbage, fencing of site and excavation of the waterbody up to the desired depth. The second includes the arrangement of water source for rejuvenation from the nearest sewage treatment plant or the setting up of an on-site plant for directly treating wastewater. The third phase includes landscaping of water bodies to create a public space.

While environmentalists have welcomed the move, they said treated water from STPs shouldn’t be used to revive water bodies.

Diwan Singh, a Delhi-based environmentalist who has been working for the revival of water bodies, said, “It is good that they have come out with SOPs. But instead of STP water, they should use water from stormwater drains to recharge the water bodies. By using the water from STPs, we are just polluting the groundwater, as the STP water is not 100% clean. Wherever treated water has been used in water bodies, that area has ended up stinking,” Singh said.

Experts also stress on the need to have biological communities in the waterbody to ensure it is sustainable. CR Babu, professor emeritus at Delhi University’s School for Environment Studies, said, “The aim should not just to rejuvenate the waterbody, but to ensure that it is self sustainable. For that, the waterbody should have biological communities, which can survive only in fresh water. The biological oxygen demand (BOD) in treated water is very high. If STP water is used, then authorities will have to pump the treated water again and again to maintain the required BOD level.”